A group of senior media executives launched the African Editors’ Forum in Kempton Park on Saturday night.
According to its constitution, it was formed by Africa’s ”most senior print, magazine, broadcast and other electronic media editors and media educators” to commit themselves to a programme of action to defend and promote media freedom and independence.
Its objectives include promoting the common interests of senior editorial executives; nurturing, deepening and defending media freedom; fostering solidarity among journalists and addressing and redressing imbalances in journalism and news organisations such as gender and race; and encouraging the equitable spread of media ownership.
Its powers include the ability to encourage programmes for corrective action and a transformation of culture within newsrooms as a whole, investigating and recommending industry guidelines, and researching issues affecting the media.
The launch took place during the All Africa Editors conference, currently under way.
Addressing the opening of the conference earlier, African Editors’ Forum interim chairperson Mathatha Tsedu said that many other editors have tried and failed in the past to launch such a forum.
”We do not intend to fail; no, we intend to succeed,” he said.
Earlier, President Thabo Mbeki had opened the conference with a call to let journalists ”tell it like it is”.
”Our media must be able to assist … to tell the truth about the continent, whether it is good truth or bad truth … to create a basis to make sure we do what we must do, as Africans, to change the continent for the better.”
The forum has five regions and so far Southern Africa, Central Africa and West Africa have been launched, with East Africa still in the process of launching. Efforts are under way to bring North Africa into the forum.
The conference will last until Monday and will also discuss the role of African editors and journalists in the way the African continent is portrayed.
In a special message read on his behalf, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said he is delighted African editors are getting together at last.
”Editors, you have a crucial responsibility in shaping both how Africa portrayed to the world and how world events are understood by Africans,” said Annan.
Referring to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, Annan said the media in Africa have a vital role to play by raising awareness, providing a forum for advocacy and holding governments accountable. — Sapa